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About NeST

At NeST, we care because we understand. Our founders have the perfect balance of expertise and empathy and they know just how challenging it can be living with the condition yourself or caring for a child who has it.

Nine years ago, our founder David Yearsley felt isolated when his son James developed Nephrotic Syndrome as a child.

"I didn't know where to turn, things weren't easy"

Fearing other people would feel this way, and dismayed at the lack of research into this syndrome, in 2005 he set out his vision: to give Nephrotic Syndrome a voice, educating people that were unfamiliar with the condition and helping people young and old, from all walks of life, cope better knowing all their options.

Working alongside Professor Moin Saleem – an expert in the field of Paediatric Renal Medicine and Consultant Paediatric Nephrologist at Bristol University Children’s Hospital, the pair created the trust to:

Raise awareness of the condition

Encourage people to donate to fund research meaning one day we’ll find a cure

Gain ambassador support from high profile individuals

Provide a hub of knowledge and support so people with NS and their carers feel united and less alone

How the money is used

Our research is funded entirely by donations and every penny goes directly to the trust so you can be confident that when you donate, you’re making a huge difference to the wellbeing of people managing Nephrotic Syndrome every day of their lives.

Your small change makes a big difference. We appreciate every generous donation, just like the thousands of people in the UK who hope one day that we will raise enough money to be able to find a cure.

It’d be great if the equipment we used was free, but because of its technical and advanced make-up, it’s very expensive. Plus, we also need to make sure the people running the Specialist Kidney Unit in Bristol’s Children Hospital are paid too.

When you donate to NeST, your money is invested in a whole host of equipment, from simple tools like glassware to state-of-the-art equipment such as our PCR machine, which is able to produce thousands of copies of DNA so that we can see if a gene is important in causing the disease process.

Sometimes your money might be used to purchase antibodies too so we can see how your body might respond to different treatments without using any actual guinea pigs or people!

Research

Our research is groundbreaking and varied. We might not do the same thing every day, but every day we are dedicated and passionate about finding a cure for Nephrotic Syndrome.

Our current projects include:

Identifying rogue proteins in the blood that cause NS

Investigating how the kidneys respond to steroids when treating NS

Discovering the link between diabetes, kidney damage and NS

The Specialist Kidney Unit at Bristol’s Children Hospital is currently undertaking world-leading research into potentially life threatening kidney diseases.

Exploring new ways to treat Nephrotic Syndrome is included in this, as well as finding better ways to reduce the rejection of transplanted kidneys. Every penny you donate gives us new hope each day that the future for people with NS will be more positive than ever.